In our tech-centric world restaurants and bars are increasingly encouraged to implement an online table booking and management system. But, why should you use an online booking system?
Increase Bookings
Whether you’re a restaurant, bar or cafe, your over-arching aim is to increase the amount of customers through your doors and therefore increase profit. Well, an online booking system can help you do just that.
With an online booking system customers can book your restaurant whenever and wherever they like, a must in our fast-paced lives. Whether it’s on social media, your website, your Google My Business listing or through our dining guide, your online booking widget is open for bookings 24/7 instantly increasing your coverage and bookings as well as monetising your social media accounts. Plus, in our tech-based lives fewer and fewer customers are likely to pick up the phone, therefore, online coverage is a must if you want to keep up with consumer demand.
Meanwhile, instant booking confirmations gives the diner an immediate response after booking, no matter what time they book. This means no time waiting for confirmation, no looking, or booking, elsewhere while they’re waiting for you to confirm, hence increasing bookings and customer satisfaction.
Reduce No Shows
Frustrating, costly and damaging, no shows have long since been a plague on restaurants. While an online booking system sadly can’t compensate for the bad manners of diners, it can go someway to preventing no shows.
Thanks to automated booking confirmations and timely booking reminders sent to customers, no shows are likely to decrease, saving restaurants time and covers. You can even set up a personalised SMS text reminder to your customer on the day of their booking to increase the chance of diners turning up or offer a way to cancel, thereby reducing no shows. Meanwhile, online reservation systems even offer the option to take deposits or card details if no shows are a recurring problem for you.
If you’d like to find out more about how an online booking system can prevent no shows, read our previous blog.
Increase Your Mailing List
Did you know that a monthly newsletter can bring a 15% return from an email database?
At the point of booking and online reservation system asks for GDPR email addresses to send marketing messages to, thereby increasing your marketing lists in a compliant, cost-free way. In fact, roughly 15-20% of people who book via the online widget sign up to the newsletter! If you then send an offer or event to this database via email you’re looking at a nice 15% return on investment. We wouldn’t say no to that.
Even if customers don’t book directly from your email, regular emails keeps your restaurant at the forefront of customers minds, meaning when they do come to book there’s an increased chance of them choosing you over a competitor.
Reduce Admin
Reduced admin is music to any restaurateurs ears and an online reservation system can deliver just that.
An automated booking system reduces the amount of calls, emails and Facebook messages you receive. And, with automated booking confirmations sent to customers, the need to reply to bookings stops, freeing up staff and much-needed time. There’s even the option to add a telephone answering machine message such as ‘book with an immediate response and confirmation via our website’. rather than leaving messages you have to reply to. This will not only reduce the time needed to reply to messages but also increase the likelihood of people placing a booking.
Meanwhile, all bookings are sent directly through to your online table management system, thereby reducing the timely job of table plans and management.
The Benefits of Sugarvine Tables
So, you’ve read all about the benefits of an online booking system and they sound great. But, with Sugarvine Tables the benefits don’t stop there.
In addition to the above benefits Sugarvine Tables has no per cover charges. That means you only pay £699 plus VAT per year. No hidden charges and no per cover fees meaning you can plan and account for our fees.
Unlike our competitors, our booking widget doesn’t take you off to our website to book. Instead all bookings are done through your website, thereby increasing your website traffic and streamlining the booking experience for users.
Included in our online booking and table management system is free marketing on our dining guide, Sugarvine.com and its social media channels. Here, we can drive totally NEW customers to your venue and promote your offers, news, events and venue imagery to the dining public locally and national, thereby further increasing your exposure and bookings. Just check out Titos Asian Grill Indian’s listing to see how our promotion of your restaurant, events and offers works.
For more information on SVTables or to try the live system call 01253 698328 or complete the form below: